All tagged war
When I was young in the faith I sang the song "Onward Christian Soldiers" as if I were at war with the world. What I missed in those opening lyrics was the word "as". I missed the fact that this was a song of unity and support for one another and the church; not a call to a spiritually founded world war. I missed the message of 1 Timothy 6... The real war isn’t in the world, it is within ourselves.
This morning we look at the spiritual battleground before us and wonder about our place on it. There should be no doubt but that there is a battle raging for our souls... and we are active combatants in it. But, are we prepared to march onto the field and proclaim the mystery of the gospel?
We are creatures of both natural and spiritual construction. It is God’s desire that our natural selves be disciplined, and come under the authority of the spiritual, but that wild and unschooled nature is not a passive student in this transition. Have you gained control over your natural self? Are you waiting for God to make this choice for you? Well, He has His desire, but the choice remains yours.
It is Christmas Day and on this day long ago our savior, Jesus Christ was born in the city of David and His arrival was announced by an angel to shepherds tending their flocks. He was called our savior and brought with Him peace between God and man, but for man’s part, peace between themselves continued to be lost within their hearts.
What do we want to be written about us, to be recorded in the book of remembrance? Will what is found there speak of our faith, Jesus Christ, our righteousness, and our fear of God? Will these words recall our obedience, and the spiritual events which have made us holy, and worthy of eternity? Will what is detailed there speak of how our name is also recorded in the Lamb’s book of life?
We watch yet again as Christians face adversity and suffering. We see the Ukrainian believers set upon by evil men who seek to conquer their neighbors, and subjugate others. Even as the bombs fall and the rockets streak across the Ukrainian night sky, we watch our brothers and sisters in Christ praying for relief, and for deliverance from this horde. They are not alone, and we also see the Christians in Russia praying for peace, and the recall of their countrymen, the Russian troops. Evil… it knows no borders, nor language barriers, and the suffering that comes as a result of it cuts like a double edged sword. So where is God in the midst of such human travail sadness, and suffering? We find Him right there in the heart of it saying “Turn to me!”, “Return to me!”… “lean on me!” In our weaknesses and desperation, we find strength in Christ.
We read in scripture that our faith requires attention and strengthening in order for us to face the many tribulations we will encounter in this fallen world. Our road to righteousness is hard, and filled with many obstacles that must be overcome before we can win the day, and enter into Heaven. We sing about the hour we first believed, and how we felt when we took that first sweet taste of eternity with Jesus, but as glorious as that moment was, it was only the beginning of our journey, the infancy of our faith, and was meant to prepare us for the initial hardships that lay ahead. We go on to read the words of encouragement that Paul, Peter, James, and others wrote, and listen to the teaching of Jesus. We know by them that though we win today’s battle, the spiritual war that rages on is long, and will demand much of us. We are told to put on our armor every day, exercise our faith to increase it, and face the dark enemy with an increased vigor. The time to rest has not yet come.
We all watch the images on television of the atrocity that is unfolding in Ukraine, and we listen to the hymns being sung in the city streets there. Our tears flow as we watch tanks running over cars filled with people, and the shelling of apartment buildings, churches, and public places while prayers are being offered up underground in subways, and cellars, but persecution and destruction are nothing new for us as Christians… it is an age old story of assault that is perpetrated by Satan, the evil one.
We look about the world today and realize that the foes of God are doing more than simply withdrawing from worship, or fading away into their worldliness, they are actively pursuing the destruction of the Church, and every vestige of faith. We see this and fret over what is to come, but this isn’t the first time such a thing has occurred, so how should we, as men and women of faith approach it? We should take our lesson from what has come before, see His victory, and take heart.